When it comes to Australia’s greatest sporting moments, there are a handful that stand head and shoulders above all others: Phar Lap winning the Melbourne Cup, Australia II winning the America’s Cup, Cathy Freeman streaking away at the Sydney Olympics and the 1948 Australian cricket tour of England, the team commonly referred to as the ‘Invincibles’.
The Invincibles were led by the most famous cricketer of all, Don Bradman. Bradman, despite turning 40 while on tour, still managed to score an incredible 2,428 runs at an average of 72.57.
In total the Invincibles played an incredible 34 matches on tour, including five test matches. During the 144-day tour, 112 days of play were scheduled. From all the games played they won 25 and drew nine, including winning the test series 4-0.
But importantly, the tour was not just about results.
Alongside Phar Lap, who offered hope and distraction for the punters of the Great Depression, the Invincibles tour captured the imagination of the sporting public during dire circumstances.
The 1948 tour was the first tour of its kind since World War II finished. There was also a sense of anticipation and excitement following a decade since the last English tour of 1938 which had ended in a draw. Furthermore, the tour was played during an era of meat and petrol rations, industrial unrest and homelessness.
It was also a time where tuberculosis was a health threat – not COVID-19. When touring parties left on boats, not planes (a seagull famously farewelled Bradman in its own way, as the team left Fremantle dock). And Australia’s white population was somewhere between 7-8 million (First Australians were not included in the census in those days).
Most of the touring party had served in the armed forces and the chance to tour England represented some hope of normality returning. It provided inspiration to the thousands of kids who played across Australia. And unity to a country that remained on edge and was still seeking a national identity.
According to Australia’s famed author and poet Thomas Keneally, the Invincibles were “poorly paid, in white flannels unadorned by logos…they played their dazzling cricket for the love of it, according to the best of traditions; calmly, ruthlessly, but without rancour or gestures or yobbo-ism. They let their phenomenal skills speak for them. And their figures talk to us still, and will always talk to us – of human promise and Australian glory!”
Even over in England, there was a similar sentiment. The Daily Telegraph had a famous headline in April 1948 which read: “Don Bradman and his men will brighten our summer.”
The Australian team in England, was incredibly well received. Captain Bradman made an arrival speech which was broadcast across Britain, a country eagerly excited about the return of test cricket after years of war on its doorstep.
In an era well before social media, Bradman would go on to receive so much fan mail during the tour that he had to enlist others, including the team manager and a hired secretary from an insurance agency to help him reply to them all.
The sense of occasion was not lost on the tourists at the time. They realised that each game of the tour was much more than just another game of cricket.
It was Bradman himself who noted on a BBC broadcast: “I do feel sure that, when the time comes to lay down our bats at the end of summer, we will all regret the passing of a great season and I believe that we will all have done much to restore it to its proper pedestal as the greatest game in the British Empire.”
Back home it was a similar reception. Although Australians couldn’t tune in to the television coverage like they do today, the ABC would provide extensive radio coverage at all hours of the night. The fact that there was no television coverage, it has been argued, added to the magic and mystique of the team and its stars.
Australians fell in love with the likes of Bradman, Barnes, Brown, Harvey, Johnston Lindwall, Miller, Morris and Toshack.
But there was more than just talent that endeared these men to everyday Australians. The team brought a unique blend of skill, determination and sportsmanship that captured the imagination of young and old.
2023 represents the 75th anniversary of this incredible period in Australian sport, and even Australian history. To commemorate the occasion, ProScore will release limited edition memorabilia. Details to follow, in coming weeks.
Be sure to view our current ‘Invincibles’ collectibles and memorabilia:
- Sir Donald Bradman Collage (A4 Size): Framed / Print Only
- Sir Donald Brandman Champions Pack (A4 Size): Framed / Print Only
- Invincibles Tour Book: More Info
- Sidney George Barnes: More Info
- Sidney George Barnes of “The Invincibles”: More Info
- The “Invincibles” (1948) 1948 Australian Cricket Team: More Info